Artificial bee brain used for vision system of a drone

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The Green Brain Project is located in Sheffield, England, and it has one key focus: to simulate a functioning honeybee brain in software. Using a mix of neuroscience modeling, decision theory, parallel computing, and robotics, they are working towards that goal. So far, they’ve got the vision and olfactory (sensory) systems working in basic form, and they’ve already been hooked up to a drone.

Recreating an entire brain, however simple, is a massive undertaking and will take many years to achieve. But as different parts of the brain come online they can be put to good use with surprisingly positive results. In the case of this drone, the artificial bee brain’s vision was used to allow the drone to see. With the software running on the drone, and cameras used as eyes, it was able to fly down a corridor successfully.

Of course, even this vision system is in the early stages of development. It can currently detect motion but not colors or shapes–those will come in time.

As the bee brain development continues, more will be learned about the best ways to create an artificial brain while unlocking new functionality. The ultimate goal at The Green Brain Project is a fully functioning bee brain that can’t be told apart from the real thing. After that, there’s nothing to stop it being uploaded to a tiny drone that actually carries out the same daily duties of a real honeybee. Of course, for that to happen robot development has got to progress a few more generations, too.

When we say that robots will one day take over the world we usually link it to some sort of apocalypse. However, with bee numbers on the decline and their function in nature being so vital, millions of drone bees may actually be a vital part of a future with humans still in it.